


A Noble Life

by Dusklatte



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Dancing, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Marriage, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Black Eagles Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Slice of Life, Snow, Snowed In, Weddings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:42:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25648255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dusklatte/pseuds/Dusklatte
Summary: Had she told herself six, possibly seven years earlier that she would be marrying, she would have given herself a blank stare and shook her head in disbelief. Even more so if she had said that she would be marrying into nobility – to a Duke, to be specific.Byleth had never really noticed when her feelings began to develop for him, but when she was finally able to recognise them, she knew that they had been there for a while.Her heart would race when she saw him in combat. Her cheeks would flush when he smiled at her over a drink of tea. She felt whole when he said that no matter what, he would support her, just as she said that she would support him.
Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 8
Kudos: 35





	1. The happiest day

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't even s supported Ferdinand yet, from what I remember and based on my switch screenshots, but I wanted to write a fic with and Byleth together! He's next on my list of s supports, however!
> 
> I wanted to do just write something fluffy and sweet, showing Byleth and Ferdinand's life together after getting married and the things which they do together! Where better to start such a fic than with their wedding?

Byleth was far from used to this sort of special treatment. She was sat on a seat, her hair gently being combed through, and delicate flowers being woven in. She had caught a glimpse of the lilies which Dorothea had chosen to use, but had her hand batted away before she could look at them properly.

“Professor... You need to relax, okay? If you keep moving like that I may do something too tight, and there is nothing worse than spending a day with your hair trying to pull out of your scalp!” Dorothea eventually exclaimed, before sighing. “But I must say... Your hair is lovely to style. Not too long, not too short, and the colour is beautiful. I miss your green hair, but your natural colour suits you much better.”

“I'll try to stay still then, and... thank you.”

“Aw, there isn’t any need to thank me! I'm just doing a favour for my friend and former professor, that’s all!”

Byleth’s face felt warm as Dorothea continued what she was doing, the occasional feeling of her fingers and the comb through her hair quite relaxing.

Eventually, Dorothea sighed, and placed the comb down. “There! All done. I should get a mirror for you...” Byleth turned around in her seat as she heard Dorothea rummaging around in a nearby chest of drawers until she found a mirror. “Aha! There we go! Use this, Professor, and tell me what you think.”

Silently, Byleth accepted the mirror, and began to look at her reflection. She straight away noticed that her hair had been braided behind her, aside from a few stray strands which were left out. The lilies from earlier were woven through her hair, the pale white of them looking like snow compared to her hair's deep blue.

Without realising it, she began to tear up.

“Oh, Professor...” Dorothea was quick to go over to her, and removed the mirror from her hands before she dropped it. “There’s no need to cry! You look beautiful...”

“I... I know, Dorothea. You made it look wonderful... I also don’t think it has really sank in yet, what today is...”

Dorothea sighed with relief, before giving her a quick smile. “Give me a minute, okay? I'm going to check where Edie and the others are. Surely they must be prepared by now!”

She quickly left the room, leaving Byleth alone with her thoughts.

Byleth still hadn’t quite been able to process the reality of the day, and even with all of the hustle and bustle around her, she couldn’t truly believe it. She had been waiting for this day for so long, yet now that it was here, it still felt an eternity away.

She would be getting _married_ in a mere few hours.

Had she told herself six, possibly seven years earlier that she would be marrying, she would have given herself a blank stare and shook her head in disbelief. Even more so if she had said that she would be marrying into nobility – to a Duke, to be specific.

Byleth had never really noticed when her feelings began to develop for him, but when she was finally able to recognise them, she knew that they had been there for a while.

Her heart would race when she saw him in combat. Her cheeks would flush when he smiled at her over a drink of tea. She felt whole when he said that no matter what, he would support her, just as she said that she would support him.

Eventually, the door to the room opened, and Dorothea re-emerged with people in tow. “Professor! We're back~” she sang, which was followed by a series of gasps and ‘ah's.

“My teacher... You look magnificent. I am certain that all eyes shall be on you today. Ferdinand is certainly a lucky man to have you as his wife,” Edelgard stated, a gentle smile on her face. “I am almost jealous myself of your hair.”

Byleth smiled back, before shaking her head. “No, I'm lucky to be able to call Ferdinand my husband. And there is no need to be jealous... Your hair looks amazing all of the time, how you manage to do that is beyond me.”

“Oh Professor, please stop deflecting your compliments! It’s your special day, let us admire how you look just for today!” Dorothea exclaimed, before turning to Bernadetta, who was slightly hiding behind Petra. “Anyway! It’s dress time now! Edie and I will help you get it on – it is rather difficult to do that, after all. Bernie will help adjust so that it stays on you and doesn’t slip, whilst Petra deals with accessories.”

Despite how hesitant she was about wearing a dress – the closest thing she had ever worn were mage robes when she was experimenting with her magic capability back when she was a professor – Byleth eventually relented and allowed her former students to help her with her outfit.

She couldn’t help but wonder as she looked at the materials of the dress, however... How much had been spent on preparing it? Ferdinand had used his own finances to cover the cost of close to everything. Edelgard had contributed towards the wedding too, as part of her gift to them. She couldn’t help but feel anxious because of this as she received help to put the dress on. It was almost certainly a combination of expensive cotton and silk, paired up some sort of white sheer lace in the same pattern as the tights she would commonly wear.

Very quickly, Byleth grew to realise that Dorothea had been right about the assistance needed. The dress appeared to be very form fitting except for her knees downward. Getting some of it on required more than just one pair of hands at times. Despite this, once it had been fastened at the back, it was _somehow_ loose, which is why she supposed that Bernadetta had been asked to help with making any adjustments.

It took a good while, but eventually, the dress had been sorted. Even now, as a bigger mirror was pulled out for her to look at her reflection, none of this felt real.

“Just accessories to go now, then you will be ready to walk down the aisle...” Edelgard stated, before giving a sad smile to Byleth. “It is unfortunate that your father is unable to be here today, but I am certain that he will be there with you.”

Byleth nodded. “Of course he will... I'll be giving Ferdinand my mother’s ring, the one which he told me to give to the one that I love...” She then trailed off with a sigh. “It still sounds so strange hearing myself say that... ‘the one that I love'...”

“The days are still early, Professor. You and Ferdinand will be having many years together to say that you are in love,” Petra piped up, walking over to her and quickly reaching behind her neck to clasp a necklace.

Once again, Byleth was reminded that this wedding likely cost a lot of money... The small gemstones on the necklace were almost guaranteed to be real, knowing Ferdinand...

A few more finishing touches after that, including pulling her shoes on, and Byleth was finally ready.

It still hadn’t quite sunk in yet.

* * *

* * *

It was rather noticeable when looking at the guest list for the wedding who had more people attending. Ferdinand had been able to invite many people, be they friends or associates – he had grown up knowing many people, and that had clearly had an effect here. Byleth, however, had a very minimal guest list. She was mostly restricted to her former Black Eagles students – they were on a shared list of guests between them - and a few others who had joined them over the years, such as Sylvain, Mercedes, and Lysithea. Besides them, there was only two other names – Alois, the former Knight of Seiros who chose to follow Byleth rather than the Church which was now no more, and Claude, the newly coronated King of Almyra, who was only alive as she had persuaded Edelgard to spare him in their conquest of Derdriu.

Ferdinand had heard some of the mutterings from his own guests from before the ceremony, which were enough to make his blood boil, but he did his best to remain calm.

“ _She is a nobody. Expect this ‘marriage’, if it is even to be called that, to be over within the year.”_

_“I imagine that Duke Aegir is simply doing this for political advantage… The woman is close to the Emperor. Basically her right-hand woman. Besides, we all know what House Aegir is like, wanting to meddle in the Emperor’s affairs.”_

_“A commoner and a noble? Unacceptable. Needless to say when the time comes, I will be putting in my objections.”_

He knew that there would likely be resistance to him marrying Byleth, particularly from those who remained firmly in the old order before Edelgard declared for there to be reforms across Fódlan, but he had never expected them to say that they would go as far as stopping the ceremony. This day was a precious one to him – one borne out of love and affection, and not out of politics. Could they truly not see the value of this day, and simply looked for further, deeper, and most importantly untrue meaning?

After hearing this, he had gone straight to somebody that he knew would be able to assist in stopping these people who wished to ruin the day – the one who, surprisingly, he had chosen as his best man.

“Hubert, may I have a word with you?”

“Ah, well if it isn’t the groom himself,” Hubert chuckled, still managing to look somewhat menacing despite the fact that he was actually rather happy. “You had better not be getting cold feet for today, your bride and Lady Edelgard would be very upset if you were to walk out now.”

Ferdinand brought his hand up to his head as he shook it. “No, Hubert. I am feeling rather excited, I shall have you know. But there is a… situation which is threatening to arise, ruining all the preparations which have been made for this day,” he explained, looking over towards the group of guests he had overheard earlier. “There are accusations flying around. That Byleth is using me, and that I am using Byleth for political leverage. Somebody has even gone as far as saying that they will be objecting during the ceremony so that we cannot be wed because she was born common and I was not. This is one of the things which Edelgard was fighting against, and I will not have it on this day.”

Hubert’s previous creepy smile had now fallen into a frown. “Indeed. Would you care for me to deal with these… interlopers?”

“I would appreciate assistance in informing them that they are no longer invited. I would not bat an eye at Edelgard being informed about some of what has occurred, and given a list of names though.”

“Now now, there is no need to worry yourself about such trivial matters on your wedding day, Ferdinand. Allow me to uninvite them – do not worry, they will not be hurt… I shall even ask for Caspar to assist me, seeming as Linhardt has already started napping.”

Ferdinand nodded, before gesturing over to the group he had previously been looking at. “They are the ones that I overheard. I have no doubt that there would be others who feel the same as them though,” he stated, before one other thing came to his head. “Please do try to be… subtle about it. I do not wish for the pleasant guests to be alarmed by a select few being told to leave.”

“Do not worry, subtlety is one of my… strengths, let us say.”

It didn’t take long for Hubert to step away to seek out Caspar, before the two of them were having a conversation with those who wished to get in the way of this important day. It appalled him that there were those who saw marriage as something purely political. He had to admit, they were his initial thoughts due to his upbringing, but they had changed drastically since he met Byleth. He could only hope that those people would learn to love too, someday.

Once that was off his mind, he went over to a seat by the front of the hall in which the ceremony would take place in, and started to look over towards the altar. Everything – even down to the most minute of details – had been prepared with utmost precision. He had the full intention of making this day a perfect one, one in which he could treat Byleth as though she were a goddess.

In no more than an hour’s time, he would be stood by that altar with her at his side, exchanging their vows and their rings. He did feel some anxiety, but his happiness and excitement were what he felt the most. He couldn’t help but wonder how Byleth was feeling, but hoped that she felt happy too.

* * *

* * *

“You know, Professor… I never expected that of anyone from the Black Eagle Strike Force were to get married… It would be you and Ferdinand first,” Edelgard stated as she and Byleth were stood outside the hall where the wedding ceremony was set to happen. “Despite this, I also expected it. You both made each other happy, even back when you were our teacher and he was your student.”

A small smile crept onto Byleth’s face, followed by her shutting her eyes and taking a deep breath. “Would you believe me if I said that I had never been to a wedding before, and have no idea how these ceremonies work? Obviously, you and the others have helped so much in preparing, but I… I still feel as though I need to do so much more to be ready…”

“Relax, Professor. Just stay calm and breathe. The officiant leads the ceremony. You simply need to listen to what they say, repeat after them if they say to do so, and be ready to read out your vows. You have achieved many incredible things in your life, and this is another of those things.”

Byleth bit her lip, trying not to mess with any of the makeup which Dorothea and Petra had put on her earlier, before nodding. “Thank you for that, Edelgard… That is reassuring. Oh… and also, you don’t have to keep calling me ‘Professor’ anymore. I haven’t been one in six years. Calling me Byleth is fine.”

Edelgard smiled and laughed, and shook her head. “Would you prefer ‘Professor’ or ‘Duchess Aegir’?”

“… Professor is fine. But as I said… my name is good too.”

The Emperor nodded, before turning towards the doors to the hall. “Would you like company down the aisle? Most ceremonies would have the bride’s father walk her down the aisle, but in Jeralt’s absence, I would be happy to accompany you.”

She thought about it for a brief moment, and followed Edelgard’s gaze over to the door. “It would be an honour to have our beloved Emperor and my closest friend walk me down the aisle.”

With that conversation over with, it was finally time for the wedding ceremony. In spite of Edelgard’s reassurances, Byleth still felt anxious and wholly unprepared, even if she had a piece of paper in her hand telling her what she needed to say when it came to the vows, the only real ‘spontaneous’ part of the ceremony.

Some of her nerves eased off when Edelgard took hold of her hand as the door opened. She had been expecting at least a hundred people there based on Ferdinand’s guest list, but there were quite a few less people than first thought. She also noticed how all of the people she had invited were there. Alois was in the crowd with his family, looking very emotional and wiping tears from his eyes already. Even Claude was there, having made the long journey from Almyra.

That was something she could say with pride in the future – an Emperor _and_ a King had attended her wedding.

Eventually, her awareness of those around her and her surroundings began to fade when she met eyes with Ferdinand by the altar. All that she could see was the love and adoration in his face, and just that was enough to make her stomach do one last flip before her nerves settled. She may have felt unprepared moments earlier, but now she felt ready.

Byleth didn’t know when music had started playing, but she had become fully aware of it stopping when Edelgard stepped aside and allowed for her to stand by the altar. It didn’t take long for Ferdinand to take hold of her hands, and give her a gentle smile as the officiant began to speak.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today-“

“Byleth… You look incredible,” he whispered, loud enough only for the two of them to hear. She felt her face heat up, and knew that there would be no doubt that all of the guests could see the blush.

After a few moments, their attention returned back to the officiant as he addressed them both. “The bride and groom have both prepared their own vows, which they shall read aloud now.”

Ferdinand tightened his grasp of her hands, knowing full well that this is the part of the ceremony which they had both prepared the most for, but had said on multiple occasions that they still didn’t feel completely ready to do.

“I’ll go first,” he then whispered, before clearing his throat. “Byleth… I never realised that it was possible to fall in love at first sight until I met you. Even if, at that time, you were simply just a professor, and I was your student, there were so many things that you did which made my love for you grow stronger,” he began, taking a deep, shaking breath as he prepared to continue. “Even to this day, I find myself falling further and further in love with you. I promise that as your husband, I will be there for you no matter what, whatever the future has to throw at us. I also promise that even though you lost your only family years ago, I will do my best to give you a new family filled with love and all that you deserve.”

Byleth felt her breath caught in the back of her throat at what Ferdinand had said. A family… The thought hadn’t actually crossed her mind until then. She would be starting a new family, getting married to him… and family isn’t something which she had since Jeralt’s murder. She… liked that thought.

It took her a brief moment to realise that all of the attention was on her, so she briefly closed her eyes as she pulled her hands free from his so that she could look at the paper which she had written on. It took another moment for her to ready herself to speak. “I… have never really been much of an emotional person. My father would always tell me that he never saw me show any hint of emotion… That is, until I accepted my teaching position at the Officer’s Academy. He always told me that I appeared so happy when in the presence of my students, but none more than you. He was right. I enjoyed every moment I could spend with you. Even after I was lost to the world for five years, my one relief was being there by your side. And…” Her hand trembled, and in what felt like the longest few seconds in the world, her paper fell onto the ground. She had managed to go off-track from her script after her third sentence, so she decided to continue as she had done to that point. “And as we fought side-by-side against the Immaculate One in Fhirdiad, I realised then that I loved you. That I had loved you for as long as I could remember, and that I couldn’t pinpoint the exact time where I began to fall for you. I was shocked to find out that you felt the same, when we both pulled out rings when we spoke to each other after the battle.”

Byleth could now feel everyone’s eyes on her as she reached back out, and held his hands once more. She could see tears in the corner of his eyes, so she smiled at him as she continued. “Ferdinand von Aegir, nothing would make me happier than being your wife, and I promise that I will love you for the rest of our lives, no matter the circumstances.”

Once Byleth finished speaking, she let out a breath that she didn’t realise she was holding when the officiant began to speak again. Ferdinand squeezed at her hands, before whispering to her again. “That was beautiful… And is that true?”

“Every word of it.”

Somehow, the remainder of the ceremony went by in the blink of an eye. The only points where time seemed to return to normal was when they both said, ‘I do’, and when they exchanged rings. Byleth could feel her heart racing as she saw her mother’s ring on Ferdinand’s hand. It had been adjusted slightly to fit, but otherwise it helped her feel as though even in death, her parents were there with them.

Finally, the ceremony began to come to a close, with the two being declared as husband and wife, and being told that they could kiss. Hardly a second had passed after that point before Ferdinand’s hands had moved from her hands to her cheeks, and had pressed a quick, soft kiss to her lips. She quietly laughed, and pulled him back for a second.


	2. New reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _This is something which the nobility of Fódlan experienced on a daily basis? Employees who would be there at their every whim, ready to do things for them? It was… a far cry from her life as a mercenary, that was for certain._

Byleth had woken up early, just as the first rays of sunlight began to break through the gaps in the drawn curtains. She was surprised at how early it happened to be, considering how late into the night she had remained awake.

Instinctively, she stretched her arms out as she yawned, allowing the bedsheets bundled up near her shoulders to crease up around her stomach. As she did this, however, her hands brushed past something warm to her side.

Reality very quickly sank in.

She was lying in bed beside _her husband._ It was fortunate that her accidental nudge of him hadn’t woke him up, so she turned to lie on her side and look at him as he continued to sleep.

Never before had she shared a bed with someone – Ferdinand had insisted on propriety in the weeks leading up to the wedding, so they had remained separate as they slept at night, even if they spent the rest of their time by the other’s side. Now, however… It would certainly take some getting used to.

As she continued watching him, she couldn’t help but notice a few little details which brought a smile to her face. His hair was everywhere – he would typically spend a good while making sure it was neat and proper every morning, and no wonder! In addition, his breathing was calm and constant, the blankets slowly rising and falling as he breathed. It led to her slowly reaching her hand out and placing it against his chest to feel his heartbeat.

Soon enough, she grew tired of remaining in bed. She had already stretched her arms, and now she needed to stretch out her legs. Before she got up though, she leaned over to Ferdinand and pressed a small kiss to his forehead.

As she rose, her first port of call was the closet. It was cold – as expected for early winter. As she pulled the doors open, she was surprised. _Somebody_ had managed to arrange for _all_ of her clothes to be brought there – even if she had told that certain somebody that she would arrange to bring them there herself. Alongside her clothes, she saw her wedding dress, neatly hung up.

Ferdinand had said that it would be the best thing to do to before they went to sleep the night before, and seeing it there, she felt inclined to agree… It was likely not to be worn again, but looked beautiful and in pristine condition, and seeing it reminded her of fond memories. Their first kiss as a married couple, at the altar… Their first dance at the reception (and the many others that followed)… Not to mention the food. It was the finest she had eaten in her entire life.

That again reminded her of something she kept telling herself the day before. _Just how much had Ferdinand spent on arranging their wedding?_

After another few moments of looking at her dress, she turned her attention towards her other clothes, and quickly grabbed hold of the loose coat which she would normally wear over her usual outfit. She didn’t care that she was wearing it over her nightgown, all that she knew was that it would help to keep her warm.

When she pulled it around herself, she approached the window, and pulled one of the curtains open. Her eyes widened when she saw a few small flakes of snow landing on the window ledge, and a smile formed on her face. There was a lovely little fireplace in the room, and it starting to snow would be a wonderful excuse to sit in front of it with Ferdinand at her side, doing something such as reading a book or simply having a gentle embrace.

She pushed the window open slightly, and held her hand out through the gap. A few stray flakes landed on her hand, and promptly melted due to her warmth. It was when she saw the tips of her fingers begin to turn pink, and heard Ferdinand moving in the bed to pull the covers over himself, that she pulled her hand back and shut the window once more.

After a few minutes of watching as the occasional flake of snow began to turn into a flurry, she stretched her arms in the air once more before pulling her coat tightly around her. It was during these few moments that she decided that it would be a good time to nudge Ferdinand awake so that he wouldn’t continue shivering under the blankets as he currently was, to light the fireplace, and to make some tea.

She decided that it would be easiest to deal with the drink first, because with the temperatures, it would be just the right temperature to drink by the time that she brought them to the room and Ferdinand had woken up. As they have their drinks, the fireplace could be kindled, and the room warmed up. From there, they could decide on what to do for the day.

As she kept her coat pulled as close to her body as she could, she went over to the door and opened it to step outside.

“Good morning, Duchess Aegir. Are you needing anything this fine morning?”

The sudden voice had surprised her – the use of her new title also confusing her for a brief moment – before she noticed that there was somebody stood opposite her in the hallway, bowing down in front of her.

“Um…” She had no idea on what to say, and had to quickly rack her brain for some sort of coherent thoughts to come to her head. “Good morning to you too… I was just wanting to get some tea for myself and-“

“Allow me to get that for you, Duchess. Is there any preference on the blend of tea?”

Again, she felt surprised. “I- ah… Um, the southern fruit blend, if possible?”

“One of the Duke’s favourites, of course. I shall bring it to you as soon as it is prepared.”

Byleth was in shock as the person went to walk away before she quickly called for their attention to thank them. She received a smile and nod in response.

Moments later, she was stood alone in the doorway, her mouth slowly falling open.

_This_ is something which the nobility of Fódlan experienced on a daily basis? Employees who would be there at their every whim, ready to do things for them? It was… a far cry from her life as a mercenary, that was for certain. Back then she had to do what she could to survive, now she was on the lap of luxury. They were completely different worlds…

Slowly she retreated into the room, leaving the door slightly ajar for when that kind employee arrived with the tea. She decided that to get her mind off the shock of having people just _there_ to do things, she went over to the fireplace to do something for herself. With the help of the little magic she knew, she was able to start a gentle flame on the logs which quickly helped with taking the chill out of the air.

As if upon cue, when she finally felt able to remove her coat, the door was knocked on and opened more than it had been. Byleth thanked the employee again as they handed the tray of tea over to her. “Please let me know when you and the Duke will be wanting to eat your breakfast, and I shall inform the kitchen staff to prepare your meal. Enjoy your tea, Duchess.”

She honestly couldn’t figure out how to react to what she was told. _Kitchen staff? There were people who made food for them too?!_

The door was fully closed after the employee left, and after a few moments, Byleth sighed. She had no idea if she would ever be able to get used to this. Then again, perhaps this was because it was the days after their wedding, and they would get more independence afterwards…

She placed the tray of tea down, before sitting down on the bed beside Ferdinand. She rested her hand on his arm, and gave him a quick shake. “Ferdinand? Ferdinand, wake up…”

“Hmm…?” He made a quiet noise in response to his name and the nudges, which was followed by him stretching his arms out to wrap around her waist and pull her down next to him. “Good morning, my wonderful wife,” he mumbled as he opened his eyes slightly and pressed a small kiss to her lips. “How did you sleep?”

Byleth smiled at him, before returning the kiss. “Very well, though I put that down to how tired I was by the time that we actually got to go to bed,” she whispered, despite them being the only two in the room. “How about you?”

“Extremely well. However, I happened to be woken up by a beautiful woman, with the scent of my favourite tea in the air…” She gave him a playful hit on the chest as he started smiling at her reaction and sat up. “This is no jest, Byleth. You are my beautiful wife, and I would not have things any other way.”

For a few moments, Byleth covered her face whilst she waited for the warmth from her embarrassment to fade. Ferdinand chuckled, and once again wrapped his arms around her to pull her close to him again. When she calmed down, she rested her head on his chest. “It felt… very strange waking up this morning…”

Ferdinand raised an eyebrow in confusion. “How come? It is not something I have done, is it?”

“No, far from it… I’ve just never woke up with somebody lying beside me before. And… I went to get a drink of tea, and was stopped by somebody calling me ‘Duchess Aegir’, and they even made the tea and brought it here! I… I’ve honestly never had people do things for me before, and… I don’t know how to feel about it.”

He nodded along, before leaning down and kissing the top of her head. “I can understand that something like that would come as a surprise to you. Fortunately, there are not many staff here, most are cooks and cleaners, with a few attendants. They are likely trying to make a good impression on you, but if you find yourself overwhelmed by this change at any point, I can ask them to give you space.”

She smiled at his suggestion before she went to sit up, and pointed over to the lit fireplace and the tea. “How about we have a drink, and talk about what we do for today?”

“Of course, my love. Lead the way.”


	3. End of the break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It is most certainly a shame that our break must come to an end. I must confess though; snow did not once cross my mind as we arranged a mid-winter wedding.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare for some very soft moments whilst it's snowing ~~and Byleth basically calling Ferdinand Rapunzel because of the length of his hair~~!!

“It is most certainly a shame that our break must come to an end,” Ferdinand whispered, looking up at the dark clouds in the sky as a flurry of snow and wind whipped around them. He held tightly onto Byleth as he shivered before sighing. “I must confess though; snow did not once cross my mind as we arranged a mid-winter wedding.”

Byleth laughed quietly, moving her gloved hands up to take hold of his arms. “I did think about the possibility of snow, and thought that it would look quite beautiful as the backdrop to our wedding. It may not have happened _on_ the day... But it's still just as nice now,” she smiled, followed by her closing her eyes. “Some of my fondest memories with my father happened in the snow. Of course, our work as mercenaries had us in Faerghus a lot of the time, so that would be a given.”

Ferdinand raised an eyebrow, before smiling. “I hope to make many fond memories with you too, my beloved. They may not be on par with the ones you had with Jeralt, but I-,” he began, being cut off by her moving a finger up to his mouth.

“There isn’t any need to compare. The relationship between a father and daughter is different to that of a husband and wife. You’ve already given me many lovely memories, our wedding day being my favourite of them all…” she said, before leaning up and pressing a kiss to his lips. “I love you, Ferdinand von Aegir…”

“And I love you too, Byleth von Aegir…”

* * *

* * *

Despite their honeymoon coming to an end, the weather began to take a turn for the worst. They had been snowed into their estate as the northerly winds brought the worst of the Faerghus weather to cover almost the entirety of southern Fódlan.

As the premises was inaccessible to the outside world, and because they could not access the outside world, Byleth and Ferdinand decided to spend the evening relaxing rather than making final preparations to return to Enbarr to speak with their friends and allies about coming duties – they believed that it could wait until morning.

It had originally started with them both reading by a fireplace in the lounge, the light from outside fading from orange to deep purple hues as the snow blocked out parts of the windows.

Eventually, Ferdinand grew tired of reading. He inserted a bookmark into the open pages, and placed the book down onto the coffee table before them. With a smile, he wrapped his arms over her shoulders and peered at the pages of her book. He knew that she had opted for one of fiction, rather than one of history like himself, and was curious to know what her tastes in novel were.

_… threw her hair out of the window, the luscious locks shining in the sunlight as it cascaded down. At the base of the tower, the man gazed up to the maiden…_

He wasn’t quite sure what to make of the few words he had managed to read. It was almost like seeing Byleth in a new light – an adorable one, however. It was interesting to know that despite the serious personality she had a majority of the time, she had a fondness for sappy books like that.

“Are you keen on these sorts of novels, Byleth?” he asked, giving her shoulders a slight squeeze. “I personally do not understand the appeal, but if you like this genre, I could always acquire more.”

Byleth turned to face him, and smiled. “I do like them. They are so… unrealistic and fantastical to the point that it captures my interest, but behind it all, I do see little snippets of realism, that remind me of places and people. For example, the tower in this novel…” She placed her fingers on the page, before closing the book on her hand and pointing to the illustration on the cover. “It is based on the Goddess Tower at Garreg Mach. Can you see the similarities?”

Ferdinand peered closer, before nodding. It looked almost as though somebody had spent many an hour sat by the tower to capture its likeness. “Is there anything more?”

“Yes!” Byleth excitedly sat up, before re-opening to the page to enthusiastically point out different things to him. “One of the main characters is a dashing mercenary who had spent the life on the road, before encountering a tower where the other main character, a beautiful maiden with long hair, was imprisoned. And… It reminded me of us. Me being the dashing mercenary, and you being the beautiful one with the long hair but not the imprisonment. That is as far as the similarities go, however.”

He raised an eyebrow, before laughing as she reached up and ran a hand through his hair. “I suppose that my hair is indeed beautiful and long…”

As she focussed on his hair, he carefully took hold of her bookmark and saved her page just before the book fell off her lap, and placed it beside his own on the coffee table.

After a few minutes, Byleth let out a small sigh, before getting out of her comfortable position and standing up. She then made her way across the room lighting some candles with her magic, leaving Ferdinand curious about what she was doing. Eventually, she walked over to him, and held her hands out.

Once she had Ferdinand on his feet, she pointed to the coffee table and their books. “Help me get this out of the way?”

“What for?” he questioned, helping her with pushing the table, nonetheless. Once it was out of the way, Byleth turned him to face her and rested her hands on his shoulders. “Are you… wanting to dance?”

She nodded.

He obliged her request, and brought his hands to her hips as he pressed their foreheads together as they swayed gently in the now cleared space in the middle of the room.

“It’s… strange. I never liked dancing much. I had no reason to as a mercenary, except for when a client invited us to a celebration after completing a job for them, and even then I stayed at the sidelines. I was unhappy when I had to dance at the Officer’s Academy, after Claude dragged me out to the dancefloor. But when I danced with you on our wedding day… I enjoyed it so much. Ever since then I just keep finding myself wanting to dance with you.”

Ferdinand smiled as he pressed a kiss to her lips. “I am honoured that you feel that way. I must confess, back at the Officer’s Academy I was somewhat jealous when I saw Claude lead you out to dance – I had wanted that honour myself. But had he not, I would not have left to go to the Goddess Tower after I saw you leave to go there…”

Byleth quietly laughed as her arms looped around his neck. “Oh? And here I am, recalling you saying that it was a mere coincidence that we ended up there at the same time, and that it was preposterous that the heir to House Aegir would be chasing after a woman…” She then watched as Ferdinand awkwardly laughed in surrender, realising that his act from six years previously had been caught out. “And yet… Look at us now, husband and wife…”

He nodded in agreement, before they remained in silence as they continued to dance. Ferdinand admired the way in which her dress, a deep blue not too different to the colour of her hair, would gently sway around the room, flaring out when they made any sort of quick movement. Byleth, meanwhile, rested her head against his shoulder, focusing on his gentle breathing.

Eventually, he moved one of his hands to take hold of one of hers, making her quietly squeal in surprise as he raised it in the air and spun her around. After that, she let go of him, and rested her hands against his chest as she tried to calm her breathing down.

“Oh Goddess… That shocked me, that movement…” she muttered, eventually moving her hand to her chest. She could feel her heart racing rapidly, and that also, Ferdinand was looking at her with worry as he took hold of her shoulders. “I’m sorry… It’s been many moons since my heart began to beat, and I’m still not used to the feeling of it…”

“I do not know how that could feel, not having a heartbeat, but I understand that it must be something hard for you to get used to after near twenty-seven years without one. I am not sure on how I can help with you growing used to it, but I shall do my best to support you.”

“Thank you, Ferdinand…”

For the remainder of the evening, the pair spent their time either embracing one another or slowly dancing across the room (minus the move which had surprised her, this time around). Once the moon was visible through the windows which were fogging up, they retired for the night, not once thinking about the amount of work that they had left for themselves the next morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! Uh, [I ended up drawing Ferdinand and Byleth dancing and posted it on my twitter.](https://twitter.com/ClaudeEmblem/status/1294661165407186945?s=20) Drawing isn't something that I do too often but I at least try to hope that it is passable??

**Author's Note:**

> If there is anything which anyone wishes to see, please say so in the comments or tell me on my twitter (@ClaudeEmblem)! The next few chapters are planned out, but I'm happy to hear of any suggestions!


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